Ant Farm
by Nochiketa
Summary: In 2044, the release of Sword Art Online: the world's first VRMMO, turned to tragedy when its designer fell into madness. Thousands were left trapped in a deadly game of Life and Death. This is the story of the brave men and women who fought and died both in the real and virtual world, so that others could live. This is the story of the Clearers and the SAO Victims Rescue Squad, .
1. Chapter 1: Launch Day

**Ant Farm**

**Chapter 1: Launch Day**

_*Author's Note*_

_I'll be quick. This is an AU reimagination of the Aincrad arc of Sword Art Online. I've taken my share of liberties with respect to the source material. But I've done it to tell a better story, and I hope you like it. Constructive feedback, if any, is always welcome._

_Needless to say, Sword Art Online belongs to Reki Kawahara. All I've done is play about with the concepts and characters. So let us begin…_

― _Nochiketa_

*1*

There is a thin line between genius and madness, and sometimes there is no line at all. Rinko knew this better than most. She'd been in love with a genius, and had a falling out with the madman.

She'd been in love with Akihiko Kayaba, or Hiko as she used to call him.

'**Breaking News: Fatal glitch in Sword Art Online. Fifty reported dead and counting.'**

'**Thousands of players unable to log out―'**

'**We interrupt our current program to bring you this emergency broadcast. There have been reports of a terrorist incident in the VRMMORPG named Sword Art Online. In the event that members of your friend or family are currently logged in, inform the emergency services without delay. DO NOT under any circumstance attempt to disconnect or remove the Nerve Gear. The device has been rigged to kill the wearer if any attempt to interrupt or disable its working is attempted―'**

_This isn't real._

The airing schedule on every channel had been interrupted to spread the news of Kayaba's deed. The genius she knew had finally given in to madness.

*2*

**Four Hours Ago; November 06, 2044; 1315 Hours JST**

The Launch Day for Sword Art Online was the last day at Argus for Rinko Koujiro. She'd cleared her table of her few remaining belongings and was en route to the elevator when she ran into Mayumi. The diamond set on the finely crafted engagement ring caught her attention.

'How did he propose?'

The twenty-four year old systems engineer blushed. 'We were running some final checks on Cardinal and he sent me an in-game marriage request.' She smiled, embarrassed. 'It's rather geeky, ain't it? I thought Hayate-kun was up to another of his usual flirts, but then he pulled me to a restaurant after work and―'

The way Mayumi looked at the ring with hope and promised dreams made Rinko feel only bitterness. But she hid her feelings and smiled. It wasn't the girl's fault that fate dealt her a bad hand. She hit the button for the elevator instead, determined to slip away before her mask slipped.

'I have a request, Sempai. The entire dev team is meeting this evening for the completion party. Even ex-Argus people will be attending. You should come.'

Rinko didn't miss the cautious tone in Mayumi's voice. The girl was aware of the ugly spat that took place between her and Kayaba, and how this spilled over to the management. Well, she knew what she was going to do. There would be no reconciliation. She was right in what she did.

'No Mayumi.' She asserted with her voice firm. 'I won't be coming. My job here is done.'

*3*

_VRMMORPGs: Very Real Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. The science of video gaming had advanced in leaps and bounds since its inception. Starting from the primitive Tennis for Two that was played on an oscilloscope, to the iconic Prince of Persia released for the Apple II, the degree of immersion grew broader with each passing generation until it encompassed all five senses. _

_The first demonstration of such deep immersive technology came in 2035, when a team of university students led by Dr. Dev Hartmann crafted a virtual room within which one's avatar could run around at will, while his or her body lay asleep in a state of induced coma. They called the technology FullDive. And it allowed a player to literally step inside__the game._

― _Qbit Magazine, Volume 35, August 2043_

…

The setting of Sword Art Online, or SAO in short was Aincrad: A towering castle of stone and steel adrift in an endless sky. It comprised a hundred floors, with each floor spanning scores of square kilometres, and dotted with landforms and settlements. Unlike modern games, Aincrad did not have much in form of a storyline or a campaign. But the marketing division at Argus knew what they were selling. Sword Art Online was touted as a virtual neverland where people could meet and interact apart from their mundane lives. From unexplored dungeons to comfy pubs, there was something for everybody. It was the future of social networking.

'Are you ready for some pork, Calvin?'

Klein reined in his irritation at his partner's jabbing remark. 'Not quite, take me through the basics one more time, Kirito.'

He was a newbie, logged in for the first time in SAO. And instead of walking around and gaping like all others, he'd decided to go find a beta tester who'd show him the ropes. Good news: he found one who agreed. Bad news: his mentor was obviously a kid (although his avatar looked much older) and annoying as fuck. Calvin Klein― seriously?

Kirito sighed, pronouncedly exasperated. 'Sheesh Klein. It won't matter how many times I tell you, you won't learn unless you fight for yourself. Haven't you played any of the older FullDive games? Like Fistypunch?'

As much as he hated to admit it, Klein shook his head. 'Most gamers my age are couch potatoes. I was weaned on Space Invaders and my favourite online game is World of Warcraft. I still play it with my friends on a pirate server hosted in a banana republic, and the dictator himself is our moderator. So no― this is my very first FullDive game. I'm a virgin.'

'All right, my waifu. I'll pop your cherry. Spread your legs.'

Klein swore to himself that once he gets the hang of combat he'll send his sword in right through the kid's bunghole.

They were both out in the countryside, scouting for mobs to hunt. Their targets were the fantastical wild boars that roamed the fields just within reach of the outlying forest. The virtual beasts were busy, either grazing or honing their tusks against the trunk of a fallen oak.

'This makes me wish I'd bought a bow and some arrows.'

Kirito shook his head. 'No way am I walking back to the City without a score. You'll just have to make do with what you have. But you might be able to injure it with a well-aimed stone, or a spear. Try it.'

A VRMMORPG might be designed to be experienced with all five senses, but in truth there is a limit to the degree of realism that any game engine can emulate. Scant computing capacity is allocated for ambient objects like grass, and if one happens to pluck a flower from a plant it shall disintegrate within the minute if not moved at once to the inventory.

Klein picked up a pebble and threw it at the nearest boar. The object soared through the air and hit the creature on its backside before it shattered into polygons. The boar gave a grunt of annoyance as it raised its head to look towards the offender, and then it went back to its grazing.

'Nothing happened.' Klein muttered. 'There's no dip in its health bar.'

Kirito was disappointed. 'I guess the system isn't designed to register projectile damage after all.'

'Still, I'd hate to take it on with a sword. Look at the size of those tusks. How about a bigger stone?'

'No Calvin, not the same boar!'

But too late! Klein had already lobbed the fist-sized rock at his quarry. The boar leapt a few feet forward in agony before its squeals turned to grunts of rage. The beast turned around with its tusks pointed dead straight towards Klein. It charged.

'RUN!'

Klein leapt sideways, narrowly throwing himself off the boar's trajectory as the murderous monster missed him by mere inches. Kirito on the other hand was not so lucky. A hundred and fifty pounds of barrelling flesh and bone caught up to him and trampled him over. On his HUD, Klein saw the boy's health plummet from fifty to ten.

'KEEP YOUR DISTANCE YOU IDIOT! DO YOU WANT TO GET ME KILLED?' he screamed.

_Yes you fucking twat, I do!_

Klein ran away from his trampled partner, shouting obscenities in his mind as he diverted the boar's rampage. He parried thrust after offensive thrust with sidesteps like a matador, but he knew he couldn't keep dodging forever.

And he still had no idea how to take it head on with a sword.

A blur of blue shot towards the crazed animal as it made its fifth run towards Klein. Defying his wildest expectations Kirito had actually intervened. His health was still flashing red. Klein saw a streak of light cut through the boar and the beast lost its health by a third.

'This Klein, is a sword skill.' The boy yelled as the wild boar changed targets. 'It's called Linear and it's the easiest to execute. Just take the opening pose and let your avatar move on its own. Your weapon will glow when you initiate a skill.'

Were this not a life or death situation, Klein would have felt like an idiot posing from some old-fashioned combat game. But now there was no time for trivialities. He took his opening stance with sword raised dramatically atop shoulder.

All at once his body went rigid. Klein felt like he was a puppet strung up with his arms and legs tethered to strings. He could have resisted, but he didn't. And he let the game's invisible puppeteer guide his avatar through the motions of an offensive move. Time slowed down as he rocketed forward, his sword glowing purple and bearing down on the beast that was too occupied with charging his partner.

Kirito saw the streaking light and pulled a leap, somersaulting daintily as he flew over the hog like a gymnast. The frenzied boar didn't get a chance to adjust its bearings before Klein closed the gap and sliced another third off its life.

There was no blood, no gore. There was only a glowing orange scar and pixelated shards of virtual matter that fell off the gash he'd carved in. Only a third of a life away from de-resolution, the boar panicked and took flight.

'Don't let it go, finish it off!'

Kirito was already in a leap. Klein followed his motions and leapfrogged off him, in turn throwing his avatar several metres further up in the air. He was flying. And his quarry was below him, running in vain. Sword unsheathed and raised atop his head, Klein screamed as he swept down like an eagle and drove his blade deep into his prey.

The boar fell with a dying squeal of pain. Its body shattered into pixelated dust. Panting and surging with both exhaustion and adrenaline, the blooded newbie staggered to his feet using his sword as a prop. On the bottom right corner of his HUD he could see two lines of text beginning to fade out.

+15 XP

Achievement unlocked: First Kill

Kirito came over to him, his hand extended and with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

'That was a pretty impressive leap', he said. 'Congratulations, Klein. And welcome to Sword Art Online.'

Overcome with relief and exhilaration, Klein threw back his head as he shook hands, and laughed. He found it a matter of personal pride that the game had made a killer out of him.

*3*

'Any word from Hayate-kun?'

'Negative. I can't get a link to any of the GMs. The system appears to have logged me out.''

'Try refreshing the session.'

'I tried it already.'

'Try again.'

'See? No use.'

Mayumi swore '―And something did have to go wrong. Gimme a break!'

'Should we call the brass?'

'Not now. They're already jumpy to begin with. Let's not raise any false alarms.'

*4*

'Cheers!'

'I believe you're a bit too young in real life to be trying alcohol.'

They had returned to the _City of Beginnings_ after two relentless hours of hunting mobs. As promised, Klein had taken his mentor to an NPC run restaurant where they sat amidst scores of other players chatting noisily with their friends, acquaintances, and prospective dates. Kirito passed a sideways glance at Klein and grinned.

'Only in the real world, Klein. The internet belongs to no nation. And whatever policing there is in Aincrad is done by the Game Masters only. Besides―' he held forward the glass of apple juice. 'This isn't wine. I can't have one even if I swapped glasses with you. The system will turn it to water.'

'How do you know that? You actually tried it?'

'How else would I know? Testers try everything. It's part of our gig.'

'Tell me what other forbidden stuff you've tried.'

Kirito was staring into empty space, searching intently as he browsed through his inventory, set invisible to outsiders. Klein opened his as well. He was thinking of sending a friend invite, when the boy produced a pamphlet from thin air and handed it to him. It was titled, _Chapter Sixteen Point Five: What the manual never told you_.

'Sixteen Point Five?'

'Chapter Sixteen of the game manual deals with the ethics code and acceptable norms of conduct. Back in the alpha, I've heard there were players who'd trap female NPCs and molest them sexually. The same perverts got electrocuted and banished for twenty four hours when they tried their antics in the beta and tripped the code. Same applies for player-to-player interactions. You try to get too comfy with a girl, and she can send you to prison. You'll lose a day's worth of gaming time from your subscription.'

'But of course', he continued. 'Every law has a loophole. You can disable the ethics code for your avatar if you go to settings from the profile window. The option's placed obscurely, but it's there.'

Klein blinked. 'You're telling me you can have sex in this game?'

'Theoretically, yes.'

'Argus is just asking to get sued, if that is true. Now give me a minute, I'm going to send you a friend invite.'

He scrolled down to the bottom of his profile. It was then that he noticed something was amiss.

'Hey, where's the logout button?'

*5*

Rinko stood amidst a jungle of cardboard boxes stacked high one on top of another. Most were mementoes from her earlier life with Kayaba, but she had no further use left for those. It'd take the best part of the evening ahead to sort through what's needed and what's not.

Her terminal buzzed. It was Mayumi.

'Koujiro here. Say what?'

'We have a bug in the system. Cardinal's completely locked us out and we can't set up a link with any of our GMs.'

'Have you tried pulling the plug?'

'I'll do it if nothing else works. But I have a request: Can you go check up on Kayaba sempai? He was supposed to log in from home and he's not answering any of our calls.'

She hesitated. 'I'm sorry Mayumi, I―'

But the voice on the other side was definitely strained.

'_Please, Sempai_. I won't ask this of you were it not serious. The management just got wind of what happened. I'm not in a position to head over myself.'

She pursed her lips, and then gave a nod.

'Fine…! But you owe me one.'

'Thanks. I sure do.'

…

After she tried the bell three times to no response, Rinko tried entering her old passcode. To her surprise the e-lock clicked open with an assenting beep. The corridor on the other side stood empty, with only the faint rustle of the air conditioner framing the ambience.

'KAYABA?' she hollered. 'AKIHIKO? HIKO?'

No reply.

She had lived in the penthouse for five years prior to their breakup. It was an expensive piece of real estate, lavishly furnished in a mix of both European and Asian styles. And he bought it because she wanted to move in with him together. From her college years to her workplace Rinko had known her share of critics who'd whispered rumours behind her back, accused her of being a gold-digger. But she was the only woman he didn't spurn. Nobody noticed that.

Careful so as to not break the silence, she made for the bedroom. But their bed was empty, with the bulky VR console by its side unattended.

Rinko stared at the empty bed, and then sat on it. Its touch felt as familiar, and as consoling as it did in her memories. Her eyes passed over their old FullDive console, predecessor to the Nerve Gear, now left silent and abandoned. There was a time when they used it to dive in together, explore virtual neverlands with their bodies left entwined in bed. She eventually did fall in love with Kayaba, not because of his looks or his wealth, but because of his drive. Rinko had seen her father fall into alcoholism and waste away after her mother left him. She knew how drive could keep a man sane and stable. And Kayaba was driven, very driven. He was an ice prince: reserved and cold to outsiders, but trusting and sensual to those who truly got to know him. Once she'd seen that, she really did want a future with him.

_Then why did we fall apart?_

She went to his study.

A rectangular box of transparent plastic that stood by his worktable caught her attention. It was filled with earth, dusty and translucent. There were times when she woke up to find him absent by her side. But she knew where to find him. He would always be there by that old formicarium, staring at it as he sat naked, lost in his thoughts.

_Why was this ant farm so important to him?_

It struck her then that even after they lived and slept for years together, there was much to him she never could find out. She tried his number.

A buzz rang from within his worktable.

*6*

_Kirito: Argo, I've run into a bit of a quandary. It seems my logout button has vanished. How much is the info worth?_

_Argo: Absolutely zilch, Ki-bou. All my contacts report the same thing. Stay tuned though: the GMs are up to something._

…

'Is this a bug?'

Kirito looked up from his status window and shook his head.

'Unclear. My ratty friend implies it's a marketing ploy, likely a prank.'

'Like making us think that we're stuck in game?'

'That would be a very risqué move. You can't trap people in a game deliberately and against their will. That's just asking to get sued. On second thoughts, I do think this is a glitch, and the GMs are trying to cover it up.'

Both of them were still seated at the restaurant, clutching their glasses of drink. There were sixteen other players in the place, not counting NPCs. And all of them were chattering noisily with looks of either puzzlement or outrage or indifference painted on their faces. They too had their logout buttons erased. Klein had gone around asking.

'How long will this glitch take to resolve, then?'

'Why ask me? Ask them.'

The local time in Aincrad was synchronised with the Japan Standard Time (JST). Klein glanced at the clock on his HUD. It was already 1725 Hours, and the sun in the virtual world was starting to set. The sunlit street outside was growing dim. He wondered how many of the people outside knew of this glitch. Or rather, how many of them were even concerned as he was.

'I have work tomorrow, and I need a good night's rest.'

'And I have school tomorrow.' Kirito poured himself another glass of juice.

Klein categorised his partner as one of the indifferent lot.

'Work and school are very different, Kirito. And it's my first job.'

'You can try sleep out here. But I won't advise it. The biggest threat in Aincrad aren't monsters, they're people. Rent a room at an inn, it's safer.'

'Hey, you hear that?'

The entire restaurant had fallen silent. There was a ringing in the distance, growing louder and louder with each passing second. Klein followed the other players and out in the open, with Kirito in tow. The bells on every watchtower in the City had set off, the chimes ringing in his ears in a tone of distinct disquiet.

*7*

The Technician was a grizzled man who operated the SAO game servers at Argus HQ. He was a seasoned veteran, and had dealt with his share of issues that cropped up during the maiden run of any large-scale computer system. But although she outranked him Mayumi came nowhere near in terms of experience. And he could see the cracks starting to show on her face.

'Relax' he assured her.

'Kind of hard for me to do that', she muttered, her voice hoarse. Her eyes were red. That bastard Yamamura had bent her over.

The Technician breathed in, and breathed out, letting the fear flow rather than fight it. In time she too will learn.

'It's not the end of the world, Toyoki-san.' He assured her. 'There's always a way.'

She nodded. 'Guess that leaves me no other choice. Pull the plug on Hayate-san.'

'That's going to hurt.'

It was true. Forcibly disconnecting a Nerve Gear in the middle of running a game could induce acute sensory disorientation. Even though the effects were temporary, it never was a pleasant experience.

'What else can I do? We have to pull someone out and ask what happened. Better be him. He may get pissed but I can _handle_ him.'

The Technician was about to make a Freudian joke at the girl's statement, but he thought better of it. Instead he turned around and sipped at his cup of coffee, savouring the bitter flavour that mirrored his own life. The keyboard lay unattended. There was nothing he could do.

Mayumi went over to the corner of the control room where the GMs rested, seated around an access point. Hayate was among them, his face passive, his eyes shut. During the occasional nights when they stayed together, she would wake up early just to look at his sleeping face. He was such a baby!

She reached for the power cable and pulled it off.

Nothing happened.

For a few seconds she wavered, wondering if she had somehow pulled the plug on his brain as well. And then she remembered. The Nerve Gear came with redundant battery backup and wireless connectivity. Kayaba had argued vehemently to have those installed, even if it raised the manufacturing costs.

_The hell!_

Mayumi didn't receive the emergency call the Technician did. She did not see his expression turn from bemusement to disbelief, and on to sheer horror. No, by the time the Technician turned around and shouted, she had already reached for and torn the headset off her fiancé's head.

*8*

The glass hit the floor and shattered. Klein looked around and found himself surrounded on all sides by people. Something was amiss.

'Who are you?'

He turned. Right behind him stood a boy with jet black hair. He was in his early teens, and his face was delicate. But what caught Klein's attention was the half-filled glass of apple juice he still clutched in his left hand.

'Kirito?'

The boy appeared shocked. 'You're Klein?' The pitch of his voice had grown higher, almost girlish.

'Yeah.'

The second glass hit the floor and shattered as the boy stared at his hands, and then at his outfit, aghast. 'What do I look like?' he asked in earnest. '_Klein, how do I look?_'

Klein smirked. 'Like a midget with a baby-face.'

'_No!_'

'And me?'

'_A baboon wearing a bandana._' The boy snapped.

'Very funny!'

'But _how could this even be possible?_' Kirito looked distinctly unsettled as he looked around. 'How would the game know what we look like in real life?'

He wasn't the only one. It seemed the entirety of Aincrad's player population had been teleported to the Central Plaza of the City after the bells began to toll. And all of them had their avatars stripped away and their true likeness exposed. There was an aura of raw nerves permeating the air, and Klein could see two players arguing amongst themselves in the distance. One of them wore a slack bikini top over his bare chest.

'Look!'

The chatter of thousands died down to pin drop stillness as the light dimmed. The sun was gone: whether it was obscured by cloud or eclipsed, Klein did not know. All he could see was the dull red base of Aincrad's second floor, and the ghostly silhouettes of a thousand silent souls.

They stood, waiting.

A blinding flash of evanescent light sent the crowd reeling. Amidst yells and screams Klein looked up and saw the false sky ablaze with a thousand warning messages: glaring yellow letters flashing against a backdrop of blood red.

WARNING! SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT

But that wasn't all.

There was a figure: a hooded gargantuan dressed in the elaborately ornate robes of a GM that appeared floating in the air, several storeys above the palace facing the plaza. And all eyes came naturally to rest upon this stranger, whose looming silhouette was the only source of reprieve amidst the painfully bright haze of the backdrop. There was no face. At least none that Klein could see amidst the flooding torrent of light.

…

Something was wrong. Rinko had dialled Mayumi five times in a row, but her calls had gone unanswered. Kayaba's terminal lay on the bed by her side, extracted from the table where she'd found it. The log registered dozens of missed calls.

His toothbrush was gone. And the backpack he kept for countryside excursions was missing. On top of that all the electronic links that served to connect Kayaba to the grid had been systematically severed and disposed of. Her man was simply― gone. But to where? And why?

The dusty formicarium resting by the table caught her attention once more. Her brows furrowed. _A memory_. They were both in college.

A sudden premonition tugged at her. With a mounting sense of dread, Rinko accessed her terminal and turned on the TV.

…

'Participants, listen.'

The voice of the hooded stranger was as a rumble in the clouds, metallic and impersonal. Silence reigned supreme in the plaza. Klein thought of a god, looking down with disdain on them pestilential mortals.

'You have noticed by now that the option to log out of this game no longer exists. Rest assured that this is not a glitch in the program, but rather a legitimate design choice that'll shape your experience for the journey ahead. I am Akihiko Kayaba and I am here to welcome you personally to Sword Art Online.'

'Neither my dedicated team of developers, nor my superiors at Argus were aware of this design aspect when I first proposed SAO seven years ago. The Nerve Gear that tethers your mind here, to your body on the other side comes with a hidden functionality. The sensory transducer component of every manufactured console is capable of energy outputs that can cause lasting neural damage. During manufacture software limiters were installed in the CPU to negate that possibility. But software can be overwritten, and the latest firmware update has done precisely that.'

'In short, if anyone from the other side tries to forcibly extricate you from my game your Nerve Gear shall destroy all higher functions in your brain. You will be left worse than dead: an empty shell with a beating heart.'

Gasps, cries, and even laughter defied the silence that had so far reigned supreme. Klein felt giddy, his senses numbed as he struggled to process the implications of what Kayaba had just said. He tottered.

A hand steadied him. He heard Kirito, his voice sucked dry of humour, but rapt and steely. 'Get a grip on yourself. This ain't over.'

Klein sensed anger in the kid's voice. His own voice reduced to a gasp, he muttered:

'My boss is going to kill me.'

…

There is a thin line between genius and madness, and sometimes there is no line at all. Rinko knew this better than most. She'd been in love with a genius, and had a falling out with the madman.

She'd been in love with Akihiko Kayaba, or Hiko as she used to call him.

'**Breaking News: Fatal glitch in Sword Art Online. Fifty reported dead and counting.'**

'**Thousands of players unable to log out―'**

'**We interrupt our current program to bring you this emergency broadcast. There have been reports of a terrorist incident in the VRMMORPG named Sword Art Online. In the event that members of your friend or family are currently logged in, inform the emergency services without delay. DO NOT under any circumstance attempt to disconnect or remove the Nerve Gear. The device has been rigged to kill the wearer if any attempt to interrupt or disable its working is attempted―'**

_This isn't real._

The airing schedule on every channel had been interrupted to spread the news of Kayaba's deed. The genius she knew had finally given in to madness.

…

'By now all of you must be wondering why I am doing this. Why would Akihiko Kayaba, famed game designer, destroy his own life and career in such fashion?'

A hundred lives lost. Klein couldn't figure if all this was the truth, or just an elaborate hoax. The avatar of Akihiko Kayaba offered no insight. It was cold and impersonal.

But then: a surprise. The hooded avatar seemed to sway, to droop as if in fatigue, like a salmon that has reached the place of its birth and done its deed.

'The truth is: this end is the goal I had kept living for. And if to realise it I have to forfeit my life, then so be it.'

…

Rinko stumbled over to the couch. Her knees had given in. The holographic screen showed Argus HQ at the edge of Tokyo's business district. Police cars swarmed the plaza in front of the repurposed shopping mall, the beacon lights flashing red atop the panda-coloured vehicles. Blood red.

…

'Ants are the most industrious creatures known to man. Millions of individuals dance to a singular rhythm, commanded by a queen in a society as mechanized, efficient and unimaginative as ours.'

Klein could feel the mounting pressure in his voice. The rage and anguish of a boy who was branded a genius and ground like a cog in the wheel until there was nothing left, but death.

'My childhood hobby, one that I lost too early, was to build formicaries that I'd nurture and observe, but it was never enough: Never as big or as complex as I envisioned it.'

He could peer into the dead heart of Akihiko Kayaba, and glimpse the black pus of his poisoned dreams.

'That's when I realized that I wanted to be a game designer. So that one day, **I'd build the world's biggest ant farm, and populate it with real people.**'

…

Another shot of Argus HQ: A close-up of the entrance with the yellow police tape in the foreground. She'd left through those glass panelled doors for the last time just a few hours back. Mayumi had accompanied her.

_Mayumi!_ The girl's fiancé was logged in. Hayate was an inquisitive man: Young, energetic, and handsome to boot. What happened to him?

It was then she realised. And she screamed.

…

A shrill scream cut through the air as a player fell to her knees. Klein saw her: A little girl, barely above ten, sobbing uncontrollably with no one to console her.

And then all hell broke loose.

The robed avatar was gone. Akihiko Kayaba had left with the same flash with which he had appeared. And the sky was now clear, dusk red with the glow of the setting sun. Blood red.

Klein felt an arm pull him away from the crying girl. She was gone, masked from view by berserk players as they skittered hither and tither crying, laughing and yelling obscenely. It was madness. He was a leaf caught in a storm.

The boy pulled him into a dark alleyway until they were both hidden in the darkness. 'Come with me', he said. 'The nearest town is five miles from here. I know some good farming spots where we can raise our stats.'

'Raise?' Klein stuttered. 'Bu―But aren't we going to wait and force him to log us out? This is all a joke, isn't it? A metagaming stunt or―'

'Klein.'

'You believe him, don't you…?'

He couldn't see Kirito eye-to-eye. The boy's face was shadowed.

'I don't know if all he's saying is true. But Akihiko Kayaba isn't famous for his sense of humour. There's a storm coming. You don't want to be here when shit starts flying.'

Klein looked aside at the boy's words, back up the alley and towards the plaza they had left behind. There was an eerie red light in the distance, with evil shadows flitting to and fro. The roar of the mob was growing louder with every passing minute. He didn't know what happened to the little girl.

'I have friends back there.'

'I can't guarantee their safety.'

'I can't abandon them either. I am their leader.'

'I won't wait.'

Silence ensued.

Klein found himself tasked with the gravest choice he'd had to make since his decision to move out and earn his keep. 'If you go ahead alone, you'll die', he pleaded.

Kirito shook his head, exasperated. 'There are testers already leaving the City as we speak. Mobs are a resource in Aincrad, and quite exhaustible. If you fall behind in the levelling curve, you'll grow weak. If you grow weak, you won't survive. I know my priorities. Do you?'

Kayaba's final words rang sharp in his ears: '_If you ever want to return to the other side, I challenge you to get started and play. Defeat this game and all of you shall be allowed to log out. Die at any point on the journey, and its game over for you_.' Klein cursed as he clenched his fist. He had made his choice. _I won't play_.

'Then go. I have my priorities and you have yours. Godspeed Kirito, and thank you.'

…

Rinko left the penthouse, calm and composed. She had made her choice. Her fist clenched tighter around the box cutter she now held: A souvenir from Kayaba's study.

…

'Goodbye Klein. May the odds be in your favour.'

There was a trace of sadness in Kirito's voice as the boy backed away at his declination. Klein stood still and watched his friend run until, like a flitting shadow, he had vanished into darkness. For a minute he waited, poised at the twilight zone between safety and danger. And then, his resolve set, Klein turned for the raging inferno that was Aincrad.


	2. Chapter 2: Point of No Return

**Ant Farm**

**Chapter 2: Point of No Return**

*1*

**Ten Years Ago; July 7, 2034**

The sweltering heat of summer had begun to give way to the drizzles of the rainy season. Rinko placed the cup of hot coffee to her lips and took a sip. The small bag of sugar she'd been provided lay unused on the tray before her. She rather savoured the bitter flavour of the beans. It reminded her of life. Both bitter and beautiful.

'So what brings you over to Hartmann's lectures?' she asked.

The man who sat opposite her was about her own age, with medium length hair and dreamy eyes. She didn't remember seeing him during the initiation ceremony, but there were a lot of faces to remember. And tutelage under Hartmann was onerous. There was always so much to do.

He'd sneak in during the sessions, listening to the doctor's lectures while he sat aloof at the back row, quietly scribbling paper after paper full of notes. Stranger even, he never asked a single question. Never shared in the debates the big man held with his pupils. Rinko noticed. She preferred the bird's eye view the back row gave her.

Eventually curiosity got the better of her.

The man hadn't touched his cup of coffee. It stood undisturbed, wisps of vapour rising gently from the simmering beverage.

'I haven't poisoned the coffee, you know.' She prodded. A pause before she continued. 'I don't want to force anything from you. But if you want to learn, you can always ask. Notes and textbooks are there for your help, but those are no substitute for a teacher. So don't be shy. It helps to open up to people, you know.'

At this the man seemed to finally stir. He leaned forward and took a sip from his cup. Rinko noticed that he too had not touched his bag of sugar.

'My name is Akihiko Kayaba. I'm a sophomore from Touto's computing division.' His voice was soft and subdued.

_A senior_: So that's why she didn't recognise his face.

'What got you so interested in neural physics?'

'I was rather interested in the way the human brain interprets sensory information. Dr. Hartmann's the definitive authority on the subject, so I figured his lectures could help.'

'Can you show me your notes?' Rinko asked him, curious.

A momentary hesitation, but then Kayaba relented and reached for his satchel. Rinko gingerly took the loose sheaf of papers he handed her. She rifled through the contents, taking in his large, scrawled lettering and the pages upon pages of equations.

'These functions describe the way our nerves perceive heat and cold. Am I correct?'

Kayaba gave a nod. 'And it's just one aspect of our sense of touch. Our gifts of the five senses are simply electrical signals deciphered by our nervous system. I want to generate these same signals from a function generator.'

Rinko found herself drawn in. Her interest was piqued.

'I see. But in that case you'll have to program the function generator.'

Kayaba smiled. It was the first time she'd seen him smile.

That's how it all began. What started as a five minute coffee break and an excuse for a conversation went on well past sundown. There was a light drizzle, accompanied by the occasional rumble in the heavens, when the two of them tidied up to leave.

'This has potential', Rinko stated flat out as she handed back the sheaf of papers, now with several additional inserts. 'But it needs a lot of work. It you want Hartmann to take your ideas seriously, you'll need to expand these ideas. Find an application that'll sell. The defence industry is always looking for newer kinds of VR interfaces. A virtual HUD projected directly onto your conscious can have use in the air force. But for that your program will have to mimic ocular signals. I can figure out the physics. And the coding's your domain.'

Neither Rinko nor Kayaba had to state that the two of them were already a team. They both knew, right then, that they were meant to be together.

'I have a dream, Koujiro-san.'

Rinko stopped midway between sorting through her purse, her mouth a slight agape.

'You may call it a madman's dream, but I want to build the world's biggest ant farm, and populate it with real people.'

Kayaba looked visibly embarrassed as he said it. He stood beside the table, fidgeting like a nervous teenager confessing to his first love. She found it rather cute.

'I too have a dream, Kayaba-san.' She stepped out in the open with her arms outstretched, and her umbrella furled. 'I want to walk in the rain like I once used to do, without an umbrella. Wanna join me?'

*2*

…_There is no doubt that the police are checking in on every Argus employee at this very moment. The information they harbour may well lead the authorities to Akihiko Kayaba. It is our earnest request to all of you, if you know anything on the current location of Japan's most wanted man please come forward without delay and without hesitation._

…_Questions arise as to demands he made in exchange for the lives of thousands. Authorities are yet to speak on the exact terms of negotiations, but there are talks of a partial release of hostages in exchange for bearer bonds worth two trillion―_

…_We urge families to not lend credence to rumours of this 'death game'. We ask you to remain calm and persevere. Our negotiators are in contact with Kayaba and all of us will do our level best to ensure the safe return of your loved ones._

**Present Day; November 06, 2044; 1806 Hours JST; 30 minutes after Launch Day Alert**

Whenever news of SAO or Kayaba reached her ears, Rinko would freeze in the middle of whatever she was doing, her mind looping ceaselessly like a dog chasing its own tail. She'd ditched her terminal at the earliest opportunity, after making sure she had sufficient cash to sustain her without resorting to online transactions. But she figured the police would be on her soon enough.

The woman behind the counter was too preoccupied with watching the newscast to give her attention when she approached.

'Could you get on with the billing please?'

'I'm sorry', the lady apologised brusquely as she got to work. 'It's just horrific what happened, so many kids…'

Rinko felt her stomach tighten. 'Did anyone you know―'

'Thank God, no. My family can't afford a Nerve Gear.'

She sighed out of relief. 'It's good to know.'

An ambulance sped past as she emerged from the department store, klaxons blaring. Rinko sped her pace, walking brusquely to the parking space where she'd kept her car. The death toll had risen to two hundred and fifty, last she checked. The police should be too busy relocating the players to set up roadblocks, she figured. Her car stood right ahead in the empty parking lot.

'Excuse me?'

Rinko spun around. A man was approaching her, hands in pockets, closing the distance between in steady, relaxed steps. She noted his cap, and the zipped-up windbreaker he wore. Where did he come from?

'Yes?' she enquired.

The roar of an engine and the squeal of tyres diverted her attention. A black minivan swerved into view, screeching to a stop between her and her car. Rinko didn't get a chance to run. The door slid open and a pair of burly hands grabbed her by the shoulder, pulling her inside.

'HELP!'

A yelp and a roar. She'd plunged the boxcutter into the man's thigh. Her fist stung. The blade had snapped and sliced her as well.

A stranglehold came down on her. Rinko bit, she kicked, she cried. But to no avail. Before long her strength ran out and she yielded, falling into unconscious and into troubled dreams.

*3*

'Do I take it that I have your cooperation?'

Rinko broke out of her musings and stared coldly at the man who stood opposite the table. The capture and subsequent strip-search had wounded her dignity. She would not cave in to the demands of her molesters. She kept silent.

The man noticed. 'On a side note, I feel it prudent to inform you that you are officially listed as missing, along with fifteen other Argus employees. Your parents are worried sick: Terrified that their little girl has disappeared. They'd be so happy to get you back. And all I ask for in exchange is your cooperation.'

She took in his broad face with its slight asymmetric twist, and the zipped up windbreaker he wore. His hair was cropped, too short she noted, in comparison to what was fashionable for men these days. And his frame was sturdy in build, neither like the jacked up visage of a professional model, nor the lanky figure of an IT professional. Somewhere in the middle, she figured.

'What kind of cooperation?'

'Get me Kayaba.'

She gave a snort. 'I don't even know where he is.'

'But I do. We traced his location. And we want you to negotiate on our behalf.'

A pause. 'But what if I refuse?'

The man gave her an icy stare with a thin-lipped smile.

'You know your colleague Minami? Decent fellow, I'd say, judging from his records. Excelled academically, studied software engineering at Tokyo University. Married his crush from high school? Word just came in. His wife got her throat slit.'

Rinko felt her feet grow numb.

The man leaned forward and placed an object before her. 'Let me spell it out for you. From now on it's only your cooperation that can keep you and your family safe. The yakuza are out looking for blood. Quite a few mob bosses lost their kids thanks to your ex. If you help us, we will give you your life back. Fail us, and you will end up as yet another victim of your boyfriend's death game.'

Rinko stared at the holographic wristband he'd given her. A new terminal, certainly bugged she surmised.

'Your choice.'

*4*

**Six Years Ago; April 6, 2038**

The warmth of spring had begun to creep in, the days longer and sunnier. The world felt bright and coloured. Sunbeams flit in through the bright foliage and the veiny boughs of surrounding trees. It was beautiful.

She found Kayaba in the woodlands at the back of the cottage, stooped before an ant mound at the base of an old tree. He turned his head around as she approached.

'Careful, it's a bit messy in here.' He warned.

'What are you doing?' she asked.

Kayaba held forward a piece of loose earth, crawling with dark ants. 'Farming.'

To be honest, Rinko didn't approve of ants, or any other bugs for that matter. But she'd learned to put up with her boyfriend's antics. The trip to Nagano was her idea. It'd be a welcome change, she'd told him. Away from the pressures and deadlines that came with working on the first generation of FullDive consoles, slated for release in the coming year. There would be a lot to worry over once their little recess is over.

'Don't you think it's cruel to remove these poor creatures from their habitat, Akihiko-kun? You're putting them in jars where they'll last for at most how long― three weeks?'

'And don't you think it's cruel to eat fried chicken? Those poor souls are first castrated, then injected with hormones, and finally chopped up for public consumption.'

Kayaba had a mischievous smirk on his face. So unlike the impassive mask he wore before the outside world. Rinko ignored the fridge horror of his words. She watched the news. She knew of the starving millions in India, and the war in Korea, and the JSDF troops who returned home in bodybags. But the distant troubles of distant nameless faces could not stop her from loving life, from loving the world that had, in contrast, been so kind to her. She was in love.

'Ants are most amazing creatures on Earth, if you ask me.' Kayaba went back to his farming, gingerly dropping the insects in a small container. 'These very specimens are part of a much larger colony that extends all the way to the other side of the Pacific. The scale of their society dwarfs even ours. And there are so many parallels you can draw, between them and us.'

'I won't liken us to insects.' Rinko crouched down by his side. 'We are better. We can reason, and we are in control of our own destiny. They aren't.'

She took the container, now screwed shut with the little creatures trying in vain to escape. And she held it before her eyes.

'_To them, we might as well be Gods.'_ She whispered.

…

**Back to the Present; November 08, 2044; 1700 Hours JST**

The mountains in the distance were a shade of deep purple against the pinkish-blue of the evening sky. Rinko disembarked from the van after several lethargic hours of journey. Light was fading. The man led her to the base of operations: a perimeter of clandestinely rigged vehicles and armed personnel set up amidst the wilderness with sophisticated communications equipment and portable mainframes. A young woman in civilian clothing stood up from her desk within a tent as they approached.

'Kaze-san, I want you to fill this lovely lady in on what details we've gathered so far. She'll be our negotiator in the coming hours.'

'Aye, Sir.'

'And if you will excuse me now, I've got matters to discuss with the Devil. See you in ten minutes.' The man walked out, leaving Rinko alone with Kaze.

A moment's silence, with the quiet beeping of hardware framed his exit. Rinko recognised the radio jammers in the tent. It was military grade equipment. No law enforcement agency had the authority to operate one. The woman obviously noticed. For she leaned in close, and whispered: 'A word of advice. The less you know about us, the better.'

Rinko pursed her lips. It was all she could do to keep from screaming.

'You love him don't you?' Kaze asked her.

She shook her head.

'I didn't love my boyfriend either. But he always loved me back, no matter how much of a bitch I was to him. It's okay to be in love, even if with a bastard.'

Rinko finally spoke, her voice breaking.

'I feel like an ant.'

*5*

She pulled a torch from her purse and set off in the darkness, following a country road that snaked upwards and into the woods. The trees stood on either side like shadowy pillars of a colossal mausoleum. The first time Rinko came here was on a field trip with her peers from school. She came back a few years later, with Kayaba. At the end of the road lay a small house with sloping roofs. It was a cottage. The old house stood amidst the frosty wilderness, cold and forbidding. Her eyes scanned the newly placed cabling and router along the outside wall. The LEDs flickering green against the cold, dead blue of the ambience. She knocked.

The shuffle of feet followed and several seconds later the door creaked open. Akihiko Kayaba stood before her, his face shadowed by a sprouting beard. His eyes were bloodshot, but they were as dreamy and far-sighted as she'd first seen them ten years ago. Rinko didn't care that her ex-boyfriend had neither shaved nor bathed in almost a week, and that he smelled of shit. Those eyes threw her askew, bringing back years' worth of love, lust, hatred and so many complicated emotions surging to the surface. Her slap sent him reeling.

'YOU SON OF A BITCH!'

…

The old house had lain vacant since its owner died. The property was in dispute. But the dust-laden floor bore trace of human habitation. A sleeping bag had been dragged inside, and beside it lay a laptop with a Nerve Gear Console attached. A bundle of wires led to a power supply in the far corner, and a cable traced outside through the ventilation. Rinko sat on the old stripped-down couch and watched Kayaba as he kept digging at his supper. He seemed remotely bothered by her presence, or by the fact that he was now wanted as a mass-murderer.

'Do you know how many lives you've taken?'

Her ex-boyfriend looked up from the bowl of stale ramen he was eating, a strand of noodle dangling repulsively from his mouth.

'The death count is eleven hundred as of this evening.' He answered. 'But no, I did not kill them.'

'You rigged the Nerve Gear to fry their brains.'

'Old man Yamamura fired fifteen people during the restructure last year. One of them committed suicide three months later. Did that make him a murderer?'

'Kato-san was unemployed and in debt.' Rinko countered.

'It was not me who pulled the plugs. The families should've listened. They were warned.'

Rinko was getting frustrated with his argument. _This is going nowhere._

In the intervening pause, Kayaba took the lead in conversation. 'The police have you bugged, don't they?'

She chose to avert the question. 'They're no police. If this goes south, it'll be my body the cops find in a ditch.'

He went back to his bowl of ramen, lifting another mouthful of the vile noodle dish. 'They think you're my weak link.'

'Am I?' She questioned.

He looked back up again. 'What have they asked you to do?'

'It's complicated.'

'Do you remember the old formicarium I keep in my study?'

Rinko felt inclined to hit him again. 'I didn't know you were so inspired. Tell me, Akihiko. Where did I go wrong? Did you feel like an ant? Was asking for a family too much for you?'

'It was indeed. You knew of my dream, though not in its entirety, I admit.' He put down his bowl and continued. 'I could never give you what you wanted. Not when I had _this_ in mind.'

'But I gave you my best years. Can you give that back?'

At her question, he paused. '…No. I can't.'

He didn't meet her eyes. She could sense some of the shame and guilt he harboured. It'd give her something to work from.

'Akihiko. Please face the truth.' Rinko continued in earnest. 'The world isn't some fantasy you can live out on your own terms. Have you ever paused to think how many lives you've destroyed? Have you thought of the two hundred people who helped build your castle? My career's finished. Toyoki-san's a widow even before she got married. And Minami-san was going to be a father. You've destroyed us all.'

*6*

'Have you isolated the kill switch, Sergeant?'

Kaze scrolled down the lines of code with her brows furrowed. Bytes of data transmitted to and from Kayaba's location that linked him to the game server at Argus HQ.

'I have. It's a fail-deadly system, and he's tethered it to his vitals. If he dies, the hostages die with him.'

She sensed a pause in the man's breathing. Both of them were juggling with lives again. It wasn't their first time. But that never made their job easier.

'Can you disable it?' he asked at length.

'I'll need access to Kayaba's master rig. And I'll need the access codes if I've to free the hostages.'

'Which means it all comes down to Koujiro-san and how she handles her ex. Did you tutor her on negotiation?'

Kaze gave her assent. 'I gave her a crash course.' A buzz sounded from her computer. 'Incoming call, Sir. It's Koujiro.'

'Put her through.'

Rinko's voice came through, slightly crackled. 'He wants to talk to you.'

…

Kayaba leaned forward toward her outstretched arm. The holographic wristband was glowing, floating numbers counting the duration of their conversation, second by second. 'Are you the man in charge?'

She recognised the man's voice from the other side. 'Yes.'

'What is your name?'

'You can call me Major.'

'Tell me Major-san. Do you want the blood of thirty-five thousand souls on your hand?'

Rinko tensed at his words. 'Akihiko?'

The reply came back without hesitation, without hostility. 'I'd rather not.' The Major answered. 'Why don't you release the hostages? And we can discuss matters peacefully?'

Kayaba had a look of dead serious in his eyes. 'Don't think I haven't noticed. The authorities haven't publicised my demands. I didn't ask for ransom in bearer bonds.'

'I'm putting this straight because I judge you a man of reason. What you're asking for is unjustifiable. Not to mention impractical. Both you and I know that the game can't be cleared in a day or two. It'll take years. The authorities can't afford to have fifteen thousand Japanese citizens kept on life support for years. That's an absurd amount of expenditure. And do you want me to get started on the hostages you took stateside?'

'Where there's a will, there's a way.'

'Listen, I will present your case for debate. But first we have to keep the people safe. Please understand they're _people_. Not NPCs you can kill off at your whim. They have families who'll mourn their loss.'

Rinko looked at Kayaba, her hands cupped over her mouth._ Please listen._

…

The men in black watched from the cover of dark. Like shadows they waited, rifles in arms.

'The door's opening.'

'Alpha Actual to Command', one of them muttered. 'We are in position. Over.'

The reply buzzed from their radio. 'Acknowledged. Stay on the ready. I want the man alive.'

…

'Stay where you are, Rinko.'

Kayaba walked out into the open, his hands raised in a show of surrender. He knew of the shadows waiting for him. He couldn't see them, but it hardly mattered. They didn't know how many steps ahead he'd planned in advance. He rolled his tongue around and found what he was searching for. Time to make his killing move.

…

The Major furrowed his brows. 'Something's not right.'

'What do you mean?' Kaze asked. Her eyes were transfixed to the screen, at the live IR footage of Kayaba out in the open.

'He's toying with me.'

…

Rinko answered her terminal. 'Koujiro here.'

The Major's voice sounded gruff. 'Tell him to release some of the hostages.'

'Akihiko!' she yelled.

Kayaba didn't turn around. 'Yeah?'

'Can you free a few hostages? As a sign of cooperation?'

'My rig's in the cottage.' He yelled back. 'Bring it to me.'

…

'No. Keep it with you.' The Major demanded. 'Koujiro-san, can you operate the computer?'

Her reply came back hesitant. 'I don't think I should.'

'Do it. I'll cover you.' The Major spoke into his radio. 'Satoshi, get inside and check the computer. Guide her if she needs help.'

A man in black emerged from the shadows and ran inside. Kayaba watched from the corner of his eyes.

…

Rinko brought the laptop over to the doorstep and sat down with it. She could feel Satoshi breathing over her shoulder.

'Tell me what to do.' She yelled to Kayaba.

'You have to type in the password. It's all in uppercase. Enter "C".'

'Okay.'

'Then "A".'

'Next?'

'R'

'Done.'

'D'

Kaze typed away at her console, checking for signs of subterfuge.

'I'

The Major stood silent.

'N'

The keys felt sticky. Rinko knew her hands were sweating.

'A'

_For Amen!_ She thought.

'And "L". Then press enter.'

The screen went black. And then the UI came into view. White letters framed against the black.

Password Accepted

Access Granted

Rinko let out an audible sigh of relief. For the first time in days she smiled.

'What the hell is this?' Satoshi leaned forward, studying the UI.

Aincrad Daily Roster (Date: November 08, 2044)

Participants alive: 34081

Participants deceased: 1186

Floors cleared: 0

'Now you must disable the killswitch.' Kayaba had let his hands drop as he instructed her. Type "end killswitch" in lowercase. Then press enter.'

'Okay.'

Killswitch terminated

…

'Killswitch disabled, Major. I confirm it.'

No reply.

'Major?'

Kaze looked back. The man stood quiet, struck with indecision. It brought back memories. Unpleasant ones.

'Sir?' she tried. To no avail.

'Kikouka-san?'

At this the man stirred. 'I had a gut feeling', he muttered, his voice throaty.

'With all respect Sir, you're paranoid. Seoul wasn't your fault.' She turned back to her console. 'At least, not yours alone to bear.'

She felt the Major's hand rest on her shoulder for the briefest of moments.

Major Sejirou Kikouka had faced death more than once in life and career. It was always the feeling deep in his guts that had seen him through: The instinct that could never be defined, only felt. He couldn't discount it thus. Not even when the evidence screamed otherwise.

'This is Command to Alpha Actual.' He spoke over the radio. 'Take Kayaba into―'

The ear splitting screech caught him by surprise. Kaze fell off her chair, screaming.

…

Executing fail-deadly contingency

Cardinal mode: autonomous

System access: sealed

Purging data

Rinko couldn't believe her eyes.

'Oh my God!'

Several loud cracks tore her eyes off the screen. Kayaba was running. She saw him disappear into the forest to her left. And then the men came, dressed in black with rifles raised. They followed in pursuit.

'Cut the line!' One of them yelled.

Rinko yanked the cable free from its port. She couldn't believe it. Kayaba had betrayed them. He had betrayed her. _Why?_

'Stay where you are!'

She turned to find Satoshi pointing a gun at her.

…

Death is inevitable: A constant companion more faithful than any lover, shadowing us every moment of our lives, both asleep and awake. We take Death so for granted that we cease to notice, and in doing so we forget how precious Life truly is.

All he wanted was to send a message. A reminder.

Yes, he knew what it would cost him. He had both dreamed and dreaded the gravity of what he set out to do. But to deny himself the act would be an injustice. It would be a betrayal of his own self, of the meaning he sought to find in his own Life.

Akihiko Kayaba knew he was going to Die.

But he wouldn't Die in vain.

The sharpshooters were under orders. They had aimed at his feet. And they had missed, almost. His right leg was in pain, agony burning into his bones. He couldn't keep running. He fell back behind the uprooted trunk of a dead tree, panting and sweaty. They were coming.

_How would I go?_

'He wouldn't get far. Perimeter's on watch.' He heard a voice to his left.

'Are you sure you hit him?' He heard another to his right.

'Watch your surroundings, he's in here. Somewhere.' A voice sounded right behind him, overlooking the trunk.

He did nothing.

…

Rinko sat kneeled where Kayaba had last stood, now held at gunpoint. She saw the Major approach, murder in his eyes.

'Did you know?' he asked quietly.

'No.' she shied away.

'Satoshi?'

'I'll do it.'

She heard the click of his gun.

'I KNOW YOU ARE HERE!' The Major's voice was an angry roar. 'IF YOU DON'T SHOW YOURSELF, YOU'LL SEE HER DIE.'

'FIVE.'

Rinko closed her eyes.

'FOUR.'

She could see her family. Her parents. Her stepfather. Her brother.

'THREE.'

She hated her father. Because her mother told her to.

'TWO.'

Her father tried to make amends. But it was too late.

'ONE.'

She began to cry.

…

'I'm here.'

Kayaba stood the best he could, his right leg a bleeding wreck. He felt giddy. The loss of blood was getting to him.

He saw Rinko look up. She was a mess, tears streaming down her face. Nobody wanted to die.

_Nobody_.

_How many have I killed so far? And how many more will I?_

He felt shame. Guilt. Regret.

_There is no turning back. I have passed the point of no return._

The Major was approaching, walking towards him in steady, measured steps. He didn't look at him. He looked at her. It was all he could do to keep steady.

'You've killed enough for a lifetime.'

His voice was calm, low. Kayaba looked at him. The man had a deathly cold stare in his eyes. He stared right back.

'I did my best.'

'You will answer for your crimes.' He pointed at Rinko. 'You will answer to _her_, and to the families of every other _life_ you've taken.'

_Rinko_. He never told her how much she meant to him. He thought he didn't have to. No words could ever suffice. She wanted a family. A consolidation of their union. A child to raise and call their own. He couldn't. Not with the plans he had. He pushed her away. He was a fool.

He was always― _a fool._

'No. You will.'

…

The Major hit him square across the jaw.

Kayaba hit the ground, the tiny vial of cyanide in between his teeth shattering with the blow. Rinko looked on bemused as her boyfriend began to retch and seize, his limbs twitching uncontrollably. The Major however, figured it at once.

'MEDIC!' he yelled.

But it was too late.

…

Kaze saw it all on surveillance, her hands cupped to her mouth. She saw the Major kick Kayaba's corpse in rage and frustration. An unforgivable act. The dead are sacrosanct. No matter what life they led.

…

Rinko stayed by the body as the medic called for transport. She cradled his face, ran her thumb across his lip, his mouth a slight agape. It was the bright orange of the bodybag that jerked her back to reality.

'No.' she cried. 'No please!'

The bag zipped shut.

*7*

Evening descended late over the streets of Paris, now nearing the middle of summer. Rinko stood alone on the balcony of her suite, watching the Eiffel Tower come alight in all its nightly glory. She knew Hartmann had asked her to be in attendance, but she couldn't. Her response had been a brief word of apology messaged through her terminal. She didn't elaborate.

She heard the door open. Footsteps. Kayaba took his place by her side, and said nothing. That's what she loved so about him. He knew when to speak, and when to stay mum.

'My father passed away.' She told him, her voice flat.

**Four Years Ago; June 11, 2040; World Fair, Paris**

'You mean your real father?'

She gave a nod. 'The one Mom left.'

For a while he was quiet. Then he told her, ever so gently. 'Typically I'd say that I'm sorry for your loss. But I figure that's not what you want to hear.'

Rinko shrugged, studying the balustrade against which she leaned. 'I don't want to hear anything. Hiko―' her voice was soft and subdued. '_I'm scared_.'

'Go on.'

'Father and Mom married because they were in love. But my only memories are of them fighting. What turned them so against each other?'

She felt him move and take her in his embrace. He felt warm, and smelled a little. She welcomed it.

'Are you scared history will repeat itself?' he asked.

She drew him closer round her, like a much loved blanket, worn with use.

'Rinko.' Kayaba ran a hand through her hair. 'The past is history, the future is a mystery. But today, is a gift.'

'That's why it's called present.' She let out a laugh, however brief. 'Will you leave me, Dear―?'

Kayaba made her turn, look him eye to eye.

'When Death takes me, yes. I'll be there for you, till the end. You'll live to see me die.'

She gave a shudder. 'Don't say such horrible things.'

He kissed her, slow and gentle. She gave a momentary twitch of resistance. But gave in to his flow: wrapping her arms round him, her back arching in sensuality. They kissed with passion, and without haste.

Kayaba drew back gently, leaving Rinko breathless, her lips parted, her eyes closed. He gave her a nuzzle.

'Don't be afraid of Death. See it as a gift. For it makes us love Life in all its ugly beauty.'


End file.
